By BRIAN HATYOKA – THE Livingstone Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has called for concerted efforts to reduce the cost of doing business in Zambia’s tourist capital and the whole country at large. LCCI executive director Malte Beierdorffer said a lot of operators, who were members of the chamber, had challenges to sustain their operations due to high cost of doing business. Mr Beierdorffer said in Livingstone on Tuesday that the new Zesco electricity tariffs for commercial users were one of the charges which had pushed up the cost of doing business. “Some of our members have even tried to pass on the costs to customers but they have ended up losing their clients and hence they have remained with an option of closing down,” Mr Beierdorffer said. Mr Beierdorffer was one of more than 10 members of the business community in Livingstone that appealed to President Edgar Lungu to reverse the recent increment on electricity tariffs for commercial users to sustain their operations. The organisations noted that they would be forced to lay off their workers and eventually close down their businesses if the new tariffs were not reversed, and that current charges had gone up by more than 300 per cent beyond their reach. Various business entities that included Sun International and New Fairmount Hotels, Lodges Wasawange, Limbo, Likute, Libala Inn, Zambezi Ultima, Sunset, Chappa Classic Comfort Corner, Thomson and Southern Quarries appealed for the change in electricity tarrifs. This was during a joint media briefing which was held at New Fairmount Hotel in Livingstone yesterday. Sun International Zambia residentv engineer George Muwela said there was need to revert to old electricity tariffs as new charges would push operators out of business. Mr Muwela said his organisation was currently paying K734,000 on new electricity charges monthly from the previous charges of K200,000. “I know that Government needs more to operate but the increment is too high and it will be difficult for us to continue operating,” Mr Muwela said. Chappa Classic Lodge director Dominic Mulwisa said his lodge was currently paying K15,901 on new electricity tariffs monthly from the previous charges of K3,285.